~ For Fans of the Genuine Blackwing 602

For Want of a Blackwing 602, part II

In a previous post I featured pencils that—in my opinion—share some of the qualities found in the Blackwing 602. This post is an extension of that idea, though not all of these pencils are necessarily close contenders. But I think they are all interesting in their own right, and deserve a post of their own.

Mitsubishi Hi-Uni 2B

This is a picture of an HB, but the description applies nonetheless. The Mitsubishi Hi-Uni is one of the very best examples of Japanese pencil-making. The consistency, quality, and finish are of the highest quality. They are available in a wide range of grades, but the 2B seems to strike the right balance between softness, darkness, smoothness, and point retention. The Penmanship Pencil is even smoother, though its 4B lead means more frequent trips to the sharpener.

Tombow Mono 100 2B

It is difficult to make distinctions between the Hi-Uni and the Mono 100. The Mono 100 is also one of the pinnacles of modern pencil-making; from the lead, to the finish, all the way down to the packaging. I think that the Hi-Uni might just be slightly smoother, but that opinion can change on a daily basis.

Craft Design Technology HB

This pencil is made by Pentel for CDT, though it seems they are no longer in production. But since Pentel also discontinued the Black Polymer, perhaps it might have more to do with Pentel than CDT. I think of this pencil as being a dependable HB, though its green finish and minimal imprint make it stand out. The wood of this pencil is a bit darker than usual. I wonder if CDT might find another manufacturer for this pencil.

Eberhard Faber Mongol No. 2

This is an unusual choice, but this No. 2 pencil writes unusually well. To me, the shade is closer to a No. 1 pencil. Though it’s not remarkably smooth, it’s far from scratchy. Having a round barrel contributes to the ease with which it writes. And, you can’t beat some of the older Eberhard Faber packaging.

The Mongol has changed quite a bit over the decades, having been one of the longest-running products in the Eberhard Faber catalog. Its name became a byword for “quality”, and was the “business pencil” of choice for many decades.

I wish you could buy more pencils in 3-packs or 4-packs these days; it’s a great way to try-out something new. The valuable and hard-to-find Faber-Castell Mongol was at the center of an international incident in 2009:

Bic 101 2B

Ask someone in the United States for a “Bic” and you’re likely to be given a pen. So I was surprised to find out Bic also made woodcase pencils. I was even more surprised when I wrote with it—the Bic 101 2B is very smooth and dark. Thanks to Matthias for introducing me to this pencil.

Faber-Castell 9008 Steno 2B

Steno pencils are a reflection of times-gone-by, so it’s nice that a company as large as Faber-Castell still makes them. Round for comfort, this 2B has a lead that seems slightly darker than the Castell 9000 2B, but also a little chalkier too (perhaps “powdery” is a better word). Compared to the Blackwing, I’d say its slogan would be “3/5 the Pressure, 1.7x the Speed.”

Mitsubishi 9850 HB

This pencil is an unsung hero of Japanese pencil-making. It does little to draw attention to itself, but for a “common” office pencil, it’s remarkably smooth and dark. The imprint and lacquer finish are excellent, too. A nice little detail is that the edges on the (excellent) eraser are just slightly rounded. Thanks to Adair for getting me hooked on these pencils.

Ito-ya Romeo No. 3

The “No. 3” in this pencil’s name doesn’t refer to the grade of its lead. It turns out this this is a very smooth and very dark pencil, something as soft as a 3B or 4B perhaps. The form-factor of the eraser is a really nice aesthetic touch, though you’ll probably want to have a different one handy for extended use.

Graf von Faber-Castell Desk Pencil No. III

Graf von Faber-Castell’s desk-length pencils are made with the same exquisite care you find in all of their products. It has a silver-plated cap, has fluted sides, and is made of premium cedar. It sharpens incredibly easy—especially with the small GvFC sharpener—and writes very nicely. Though they lean toward lighter degrees, older versions of this pencil are a bit darker than the current version.

Mars-Lumograph 2886 EX-EXB

This isn’t a pencil for writing, but I wanted to include it anyway. I use it much like I would a Sharpie marker for writing on boxes, signs, etc. It’s an oversized pencil with a thick, creamy lead. It’s the only a pencil I’ve tried sharpening with a knife.

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30 thoughts on “For Want of a Blackwing 602, part II”

I totally forgot about the Ito-ya Romeo № 3 in my comments on the last post; I got one as a gift with my last Pencils.jp order, and it’s a wonderful pencil — very black and smooth, and with an unusual eraser-end. With my next order, whenever that is, I’ll have to order some more of them, and throw in a box or two of the Mitsubishi 9850s as well.

I’ve never seen a EX-EXB Lumograph before, and your use makes me think it’s more like a chinagraph pencil than a regular graphite pencil (the exposed core reinforces that suspicion). Is this the case, or is it more charcoal-like?

What a nice selection of pencils. Thanks for showing these. The Mongol packaging looks great. It reminds me of something Ephraim Kishon (who was a Castell 9000 user) once wrote. I forgot the exact words but the he wrote that US American products have the most functional and purposive packaging.

I like that Faber Steno with the eraser—I’ve never seen one with an eraser. They are great pencils indeed, as are the less common Staedtler “Stenofix,” which also have round barrels.

Reading these great entries, Sean, makes me wonder: despite the disappearance of so many of our favorite pencils, there is no doubt that superb pencils are still being manufactured, especially in Japan and Germany. The Tombows and Hi-Unis might well be among the best pencils ever made. And yet, we cannot shake off the hold of the past, the obsession with and desire for the pencils of the past, in particular the Blackwing. There is something about them that is more than just nostalgic. There is something so stunning about their design and their packaging that even the Tombow Mono 100 cannot quite match. It is a kind of allure that is hard, perhaps impossible, to articulate! And I think that it is owing to something more than scarcity. Maybe, just maybe, it has to do with the way that these pencils, especially the Blackwing, are fragments of a past civilization that was deeply flawed in many ways yet had a very rich material culture that we have lost, at least in the United States. Japan and Germany have managed to retain some of theirs.

Great answer, Adair. For me, even though it’s woefully over-quoted, I think Don Draper’s famous “Nostalgia” speech captures the appeal of old pencils beautifully:

He also talked about a deeper bond with a product: nostalgia. It’s delicate, but potent. … Teddy told me that in Greek, nostalgia literally means the pain from an old wound. It’s a twinge in your heart, far more powerful than memory alone. This device isn’t a space ship, it’s a time machine. It goes backwards, forwards. It takes us to a place where we ache to go again.

Ahh, the Mongols! +1 from me over here. I don’t know if it’s the packaging, the fonts, the packaging, or just the memories of using these pencils growing up. That’s my 602 in a sense for some reason. Thanks for mentioning it!

Thanks for showing us these great pencils – now I have a few to hunt down myself.. 🙂
IMHO the Graf pencil isn’t up to par with the others – to me it has been a disappointment. The lead is more then two grades lighter than my favourite Palomino (HB) – barely readable, unless I really lean on it. Hansome and well made though – but not in the Palomino – HI Uni league.

Thanks, Henrik. I agree with you about the GvFCs, but I included one only because the older pencils are actually darker — more like a 2B. These un-sharpened desk-length pencils, which are from the mid-90s I think, might have had a slightly different lead formula. I say this because I have experienced the same thing with older pocket pencil refills too; they’re just a bit softer. But on the whole, I agree that the current ones are too light. I’ve always wondered if people just press harder when using lighter pencils, or, if their pressure is consistent and they just prefer a lighter mark.

In my experience as a teacher of handwriting, they tend to press harder, and that’s bad. They become used to it and think writing should be that way. Later, they don’t understand where the writers cramp and the sore fingers come from…
Here’s the trick I use: if you look at the writing “sideways” and the line appears shiny, you’re pressing too hard – if it appears matte it’s ok.(And photocopies much better BWT)
regards
Henrik

Henrick: I’ve noticed that most people seem to press hard when writing with almost anything, and I think it’s maybe because most people are used to writing with ballpoints where a certain amount of pressure is usually needed. There’s probably a correlation between this behaviour and the end of handwriting being taught in UK schools; older people I’ve watched writing tend to prefer ink or pencil over ballpoints, have much better handwriting, and don’t look like they’re trying engrave what they’re writing into the surface of the page.

Stephen: Good point!Matthias: This makes a lot of sense. It makes me think about draftsmen (draftswomen?, draftspeople!) and the struggle to keep such large, graphite-based drawings clean.Henrik: Count me as one of those people. It’s only in the past few years that I have tried consciously to lighten my grip and let the pencil do the writing, so-to-speak. It’s ironic that, as a musician, I’ve spent my entire adult life practicing and developing a technique that involves minimizing effort and pressure, yet I never applied that thinking to my handwriting. My hand would want to give out long before I wanted to take a break from what I was writing — all of these years it was making my writing experience an unnecessarily unpleasant one.

Congratulations and welcome in the club of lightwriters 🙂 You will find, that very few writing tools will be able to cope, I’m afraid. I consider handwriting as much an artform as calligraphy. It has probably more in common with music, as speed, rythm and flow is important, so you should feel at home. Good luck with the effort!
@ Mike: Agreed, the ballpoint doesn’t help – not only does it require pressure it is also hard to keep on the track as it skids in all directions. This makes writing an unpleasant, cramped affair. The main reason, however, is IMHO the lack of sufficient training.

Another great post. As a rusted on FC9000 user the Steno 9008 has always intrigued me… but I’ve never seen them for sale online. Anyone know of any sites that sell them online and ship overseas? I find Faber-Castell do not market their art/middle range pencils very well – the FC9000 is nowhere near as well supplied at retail as the Staedtler Lumograph yet they are considered generally to be equivalent pencils.

Thanks, Kevin. I should mention that the eraser-tip is another mod of mine; they are sold without erasers. I don’t know of any retailers, but you’re likely to find just about any Faber-Castell item on eBay.de.

@ Stephen – yep! But I can’t always choose the paper when I’m at work, so a pencil, which doesn’t make it’s mark on any kind of paper isn’t very usefull. I agree, that the pencil per se is very, very good looking – like most of Castell’s things – really appealing design.
However, I think that either economy or the idea of keeping the point longer has made FC change the formula – same phenomena appears in the 9000 line, which BTW has become more slender over the years. The leads for mechanical pencils, same story. So, I think it’s a trend.
I actually don’t like the idea of “they” are doing this, hoping that “we” won’t notice – but that business, I guess

Funny thing about the slenderness of the FC9000 – I measured from side to side with a manual caliper and got approx. 6.80mm – the Staedtler Mars Lumograph measures approx. 6.75mm. But the strange thing is the FC900 feels slimmer than the Lumograph and always has done – I think this has something to do with the sharper edges of the FC9000.

Henrik, I understand. Not too many people (certainly not myself) can choose all their paper sources. I happened to have a Castell 9000 at work today, and the HB lead is definitely too light for my taste, even with bleached white paper and good overhead lighting.

@Sean and Stephen
Thanks, I’m not alone, good to know,
I would like to explain a bit:

I’m not trying to put Faber Castell down. The design is handsome and nobody has done so much for promoting the pencil as FC. In fact, I think of Faber Castell as „the pencil Montblanc“ in hard competition with Caran d’ache :-).

I just think that FC-‘s perception of „a good pencil“ is a bit different from mine. Darkness is sacrificed for less lead breakages and a good point rendition. I only wish, I had a choice of a darker lead – then it would be perfect.

The 9000. I’m not able to meassure the exact diameter – but compared to my vintage ones, the current production has shrunk a bit – the extender has a much firmer grip on the older ones. And something has happened to the lead grade as well – in my eyes, light, paper and writing style the old HB grade matches a current 3B.

But I’m being a pendant – overall the Graf and 9000 are great pencils – they just not in the very dark league like the others mentioned here.
regards
Henrik

Regarding the smaller diameter of the newer pencils: In many (if not most) cases for the decrease in diameter is the fact that now nine pencils are made from a sandwich whereas not so long ago only eight have been made.

Gunther: that chimes with a comment WoodChuck posted over at Pencil Talk, and also my personal experience. Newer pencils do seem to be thinner than those made 15 or twenty years ago. I’ve noticed that a lot of Japanese pencils seem “fat” vs. European and American/“American” pencils, and I suspect it’s because the Mono 100/CDT/Hi-Uni/&c. are all still made to the older, bigger diameter. I haven’t measured them though, so I might be wrong.

I’d love to get my hands on the Mars-Lumograph 2886 EX-EXB. Looks to be the type of pencil I’d like to use for figure drawing. I can’t seem to fin them anywhere. IF anyone could provide any help or insight as to where to find one it would be greatly appreciated.

Though the Mitsubishi and Tombow flagship pencils are relatively young, it surprised me when I learned that they were both introduced in the 1960s. The emergence of the Mono and the Uni brand identities seems an interesting bit of history, though it doesn’t seem to get much attention. I really would like to hear more about the Pentel graphite story as well, but it doesn’t seem quite as accessible.

One thing that has sort of saddened me is the direction the specialized smooth/dark offerings have gone. The Uni Artis was a system in the early 2000s that included a 2mm leadholder with special leads meant to be particularly smooth and dark, but apparently the concept fizzled out. Nowadays, it seems the “smooth” writing pencils they’re making in usable writing grades are being marketed toward children: the Penmanship pencils (somewhat targeting kids) and the NanoDia Kakikata (very clearly targeting kids). The latter is a pencil I’d like to try, but the design and marketing are a bit off-putting. I guess I should be glad that there still seems to be some effort being made.